Live aprs.fi

Thursday, December 19, 2013

It's such a long time, I never update my blog. I don't know why, maybe I'm too lazy. Well few things happening over the year.
To start writing again, it not a pain, it's just how to start.
Well, start with this Argentdata Tracker 3 Mini, it's been lying around for almost a year, before I start to play with it again. Our group ordered few units in bundle and most of it have been dispatched to top mountain digipeater. Following the success of OT2m, the T3 mini also worked well. I've test with 3-4 type GPS receiver, but none of it work with T3 mini...something must be wrong.
The T3 is lying around because it not capable to use it as tracker. I've tested with the larger version of T3, and it working well as expected. When swap with the mini version, it can't run. The T3 mini is not accepting the GPS data.
After swapping the RX and TX line of serial port and changing to port B it still not go through... Then I start to email Scott, and he guided me through a few troubleshooting method. I report back every his opinions. And yet still no success.One of his guide is to monitor incoming data string from Port A using terminal via Port B, I use the GPS simulator, and I could see GPS string coming in.The T3 mini led blinking! I swap to GPS receiver,no data coming in. Led also stop blinking.

Suddenly I remember when I'm troubleshooting the KF-163 ( from Jancorver Museum), the KF-163 also not transmitting even I've tried many GPS receiver. The I refer back to the manual, and I see they only using the GPS TX data line only, they didn't connect the GPS RX data, just leave it.
I heat up my soldering iron, and remove the GPS RX data, plug it back to T3 mini, and power it up...and I can see the GPS string in the terminal, LED also blinking. YES!! it can work as tracker now.

I wrap the wire, put the T3 mini back in a box, move it to my car, replace it with my current OT1+, and start tracking again.
I email Scott and notify him the problem.